A huge earthquake near the Iranian border has killed hundreds of people in western Afghanistan.
According to other estimates, the death toll is substantially higher. On Saturday, a 6.3 magnitude earthquake struck at least 12 villages near Herat.
There were significant aftershocks. As buildings crashed around them, survivors recalled their terror.
Rescue personnel searched all night for survivors trapped beneath the wreckage.
Hundreds of thousands of people have been hurt.
Hospitals are straining to treat the injured in a country with woefully inadequate medical infrastructure. The United Nations and other organizations have begun rushing in emergency supplies. Additionally, you can also read about- Largest Recorded Earthquakes in History [Top 20 List]
On Saturday, about 11:00 a.m. local time (06:30 GMT), an earthquake struck roughly 40 kilometers (25 miles) north-west of Herat.
“We were at our offices when the building began to shake. Wall plaster began to slip down, causing gaps in the walls; several walls and parts of the structure collapsed.” Bashir Ahmad, a Herat resident, told Us.
“I can’t get in touch with my family… “I’m too scared and worried; it was terrifying,” he remarked.
The Taliban’s public health minister is in Herat to assess the extent of the damage.
Footage from Herat Central Hospital shows wounded connected to intravenous drips being treated outside the main facility, indicating the unexpected and overwhelming demand for emergency care.
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Other images depict scenes of devastation in Herat’s Injil area, where rubble obstructed roadways and hampered rescue efforts.
“The situation was very horrible; I had never seen anything like it,” student Idrees Arsala told AFP. He was the last person to leave his classroom safely after the earthquakes began.
Herat is the cultural capital of Afghanistan and is located 120 kilometers (75 miles) east of the Iranian border. The province is thought to have a population of 1.9 million people.
Afghanistan is prone to earthquakes, particularly in the Hindu Kush mountain range, which is near the meeting point of the Eurasian and Indian tectonic plates.
A 5.9 magnitude earthquake struck the province of Paktika in June of last year, killing over 1,000 people and displacing tens of thousands.
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